The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-11
A BIT OF SOUTHERN ROMANCE.
WHY the Negro Who Whistled to the
Passengers and the Tall Gentleman
Embraced.

Passengers and the Tall Gentleman
Embraced.
From the Ne,c York Tribune.
A midsummer stroll about New York
may lead one into strange places. Thus it
may take one across one of the numerous
ferries that carry the weary New Workers
TO the hills of New Jersey and to the beer
gardens and big breweries where the Ger
mans are numerous. 1t may send one down
the Bay on one of the hundred excursions
ont to sea or up the Sound, to Long Branch.
TO Coney Island or up along the Hudson
Aladdin with his wonderful lamp could not
conjure up more places of recreation or
more variety of amusementS than are
spread before New Workers at this season of
the year
Wherever one strolls there is novelty, and
open ears and O retentive memory will catch
up floating bits of gossip and news any
where and everywhere
1t was this fact that impressed the stroller
as he sat on the deck of a Long Branch boat
ON Saturday The lonesome-looking and
lugubrious italian musicians had Just COM
pleted their finest symphony, collected the
nickels and dimes of admiring listeners or
of persons glad to be rid of their dolefully
manipulated violins, and had gone down
stairs to drink before opening q new musical
IA
fat and greasy, srniling-faced black man
was pickering his lips for mockingbird
whistle. with a view of capturing what few
PENNIES the Italians had failed to charm out
of the pockets of the passengers, when he
was touched on the arm by a tall and hand
some athletic man of perhaps 40, a typical
Southern gentleman. In an instant they
had embraced-this greasy black man and
this elegant gentleman.
We all guessed it at once-that is, we
Thought we did. 1t must be, it could be
nothing else than an old master and an old
slave episode.
Well, it wasn't Out of that meeting the
Stroller heard the queerest bit of Southern
romance.
"Where is your mistress" was the first
question the negro was asked by the gentle
man, when they had come away from the
crowded deck and had got into corner
near the Stroller.
''Foah de Lawd, Mas'r George, I doan
no." was the colored mans reply ''De ole
geinman dun bounce me, when he fin out
bout YOU and Miss Emily . Lawd, but Use
glad to see you. Use been mighty neah
starb once or twice"
Then they talked low and long 1t came
about presently that | had an opportunity
to offer the Southerner light for his cigar.
Shortly | offered him q cigar Presently
we were exchanging commonplace that
ripened into an interchange of opinion on
various topics At last | mentioned the
strangeness of his meeting with the negro.
got the whole story. 1t would make the
basis for an American novel,
There died in Virginia some time ago the
head of an old family of that State whose
wealth footed up S7000,000 or $4,000, 900
Not little of it was invested III New York
realty By will the bulk of this property
was left to single heir, with requests of
SIC, 1000 each to other heirs. There was talk
of a contest of the will The prudent
legatee made compromises. In the case
most pertinent to this story he agreed with
a son-in-law of the dead man that he should
receive 100000 for himself and $3.50 900 for
each of his two daughters on the day they
should become 81 years of age and sign a
release.
One of the other heirs refused to com
promise, brought suit against property in
New York and recovered some $4,000. The
Son-in-law who had made a compromise has
been in mortal dread lest the two daughters
whose fortunes he holds in his hands should
MARRY before reaching 81 and through their
husbands should become induced to sue for
larger share of the fortune than had been
arranged under the COMPROMISE They are
beautiful Southern girls, IS and 20 years Of
age, He is a whoever. Lately he has
devoted his entire time to their service
zealously warding off suitors. He never
remains long anywhere The moment an
acquaintance ripens between either one of
them and gentleman who becomes at all
assldiOus in his attentions, the father quietly
announces their departure for some other
place. His argument to his friends is that if
either of the girls should be induced to bring a
suit after marriage, she would risk being
compelled to accept the $4,000 awarded her
under the will, even though her cousin was
lucky enough to secure three-quarters of a
million. The $1,000 that he is sure of
under the compromise he thinks ample for
them and for himself. They know nothing
of the situation.
The old darkey whistler was a servant of
the family. The gentleman on the boat had
been suffer of one of the girls. His love
had been returned and the colored man had
been the instrument through whom their
coultship had been carried on, The father
found it out, discharged the boy and moved
away so quickly that the lover found him
self cut off from communication with his
mistress He had come North, he told me,
In the hope of finding her at some of the
watering places.
Queer story, wasn't it?
Well, the queerest part of it is to come.
Strolling along the beach below the West
End Hotel that night ] came across two fig
ureS walking so close to each other that the
blindest observer would have known them
TO be lovers. 1t was my tall friend of the
boat and graceful young woman, whose
lithe form and elastic step told of the ply
steal strength for which Southern women
are noted, and at the same time of mental
eXaltatlon. Trailing along back on the
sands | noticed the whistling darby. He
was creeping at a small pace but keeping a
wary eve out. He had overheard some of
the condolences that the young Southerner
had poured into my ear So when | winked
at him in the moonlight he grinned till he
showed every tooth in his head. Then he
laughed with "a suppressed guffaw as he
said: ''Yessir, yesSir. Mas'r George dun
foun' Miss Emily. J.awd bress 'em. Yes
Sir yessir. De ole man he doan no muffin
bout it. Lawd but am dun glad, boss.
l looked down the beach. The happy
couple were still strolling along in the
moonlight. like strolls myself and l en-
Joyed their enjoyment.
If there hasn't been an elopement from
Long Branch since Saturday, there will be-